Secret revealed

Zighy Bay, amid Oman's hostile mountains, is a gem of a beach but its new resort is enchanting only after dark, says Annabelle Thorpe Four long, hazy, sun-kissed days on Zighy Bay and I have to admit to being, perhaps predictably, utterly smitten.

Hidden behind the gargantuan Hajar Mountains, on the little-known Musandam Peninsula on the northernmost tip of Oman, the bay is one of those blissful arcs of champagne-blonde sand, backed by a ramshackle cottage or two and a pristine white mosque that looks out across the vast, glittering Arabian Sea.

Until now, only a few fishermen and elders of the village have enjoyed its unspoilt beauty, kept safe from the ravages of tourism and progress by unassailable mountains and hostile terrain.

But the wonders of technology, all-terrain vehicles and the unstoppable search for the few remaining undiscovered corners of the world mean that Zighy Bay the location has also become Zighy Bay the resort. And much as I fell for the former, the latter - in spite of its spectacular scenery - was a little harder to love.

My first impression didn't help. The two-hour transfer stopped 10 minutes short of the resort and some 500m above it, from where new arrivals could paraglide down to check in, an inspired bit of gimmickry which dominated the hotel's launch publicity.

But as I gazed down at the cluster of neat brown cubes, studded with palm trees, the scene reminded me of an army encampment. Up close it is less harsh but still far from warm: villas have been constructed to a traditional Omani design, but the stone cladding, raffia fencing and heavy wood are not easy on the eye.

Strolling around the resort, the word that kept coming back to me was masculine. Extraordinarily so. Instead of white muslin curtains, bedrooms draped in lush silks, vases of scarlet hibiscus and arum lilies, the resort was painted almost entirely from a wheat-and-barley palette.

It made me wonder if Omanis have as many words for brown as the Inuit do for snow: rooms decked out in cocoa and tan, walls the colour of coffee ice cream, and everywhere heavy, dark wooden chairs, tables and loungers.

Decor for men perhaps, but Zighy Bay is definitely all about couples. It belongs to the Evason Hideaway brand and the name says it all; when I asked why there were so few sunloungers on the beach I was told, quite firmly, that it was not a beach resort and they did not want to cultivate that sort of atmosphere.

Instead, the villas are designed so that you can simply hole up with your partner and stay there all week; even the simplest has its own plunge pool, outdoor shower, day-bed area and terrace. Your own butler is just a phone call away, ready to deliver anything from a buckwheat pillow to a bottle of bubbly.

This concept is all very well if you have one of the villas that front on to the sea; open the large wicker gates and you look straight out on the glorious beach.

But if, like me, you are in the cheap seats two rows back, then your view is of the villa opposite. Lying by my pool, I could see a front door, two bicycles and some stone steps. It was rather like the view from my doorstep at home, only with better weather and fewer recycling bins.

Yet both times I went for a snooze on the beach, all 12 loungers (in a resort of 79 villas) were taken _- and there was no one to ask to wheel one over from the pool.

There is more to the resort than lying by the beach (if you can): a vast programme of activities offers everything from yoga to Arabic cooking to paragliding (too windy, unfortunately), boat trips and 4x4 tours. I opted for a blissful day on the dhow, a traditional Arabic sailing boat, but as a first-timer to Oman the chance to explore the interior of the peninsula, separated from the rest of the country by the UAE, was what really appealed.

Once up and over the mountain that kept Zighy Bay secret for so long, any vestiges of the 21st century soon disappear.

The one road that leads north runs parallel to a wadi (a dry river bed) which gradually narrows until the wadi and the road become one, edged by great shards of rock that hurtle up towards the sky.

I clambered out of the Hummer to take pictures and the driver took the car around the corner and out of sight; as the engine stopped a wave of silence simply rolled up the wadi - perfect, unbroken.

Until 30 years ago, the Musandam belonged to the Shihuh tribes who lived in scattered villages between the peaks. Once oil was discovered, the peninsula had to be allied to either the UAE or Oman, and the Shihuh opted to become Omani.

Many were given homes in towns and now the only remaining inhabitants are lone Pakistani goat herders. We stopped more than 1,000m up and gazed out over deserted terraces where date palms had once grown and crumbling former homes lay silent in the sun.

Back at the resort, the muted colours and the faux-rustic chic made a little more sense, somehow in keeping with the stark beauty of the surrounding scenery. And by night it was enchanting: pathways lit by candlelight, dining tables on the beach illuminated by flickering torches, the sharp right angles of the buildings softened in the near- darkness.

Beachfront suppers of grilled prawns, fresh John Dory and creamy curries were all exceptional.

But somehow, by day, the resort was a little too dour for me. Even the Six Senses Spa was pared down to the point of sparseness, stark treatment rooms devoid of everything but a bed and a therapist.

I suspect it's just subjectivity; there are plenty of people who will love Zighy Bay resort, drawn to the heady mix of isolation and sophistication.

But it was Zighy Bay itself I fell for, and as I walked along the beach at sunset, the towering peaks gazing smokily down through the first wisps of an Omani dusk, I wished I had seen it before the resort set out its stall on the sands, before tourism and progress changed it forever.

l Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay (www.sixsenses.com) has pool villas sleeping two from BD266 per night.

Opening soon ... More Middle Eastern luxury projects

Atlantis, Dubai

Due to open in September, the $1.5 billion development will be on the artificial Palm Jumeirah Island and will have an astonishing 1,539 rooms. The resort will feature two towers, linked by an arch, with 16 dining options, a water-based theme park, its own shopping arcade and spa. Visit www.atlantisthepalm.com.

Le Gray, Lebanon

Boutique hotel luxury comes to Beirut this autumn when Le Gray opens its doors in November. The roof-top pool will have panoramic views across the Mediterranean. Situated in the historic Solidere area of the city, the hotel will have 86 rooms, a spa, cafe and restaurant and even a cigar bar. See www.campbellgrayhotels.com.

Al Bustan Palace, Oman

Set to reopen in the summer, the Palace is undergoing a multi- million pound refurbishment that should create a hotel as stunning as its 1km-long private beach. Just 8km from Muscat, the Al Bustan is ideally located for exploring the nearby capital, desert and wadis. More details at www.intercontinental.com.